Many of you heard the dreaded, but not unexpected, news yesterday that your CFA exam in December has been cancelled. Cities in India, the US and ten other countries received this news earlier in the week. However, yesterday included London and the UK, the home of Quartic and a sizeable cluster of our candidates.

The keenest amongst the June 2020 candidates enrolled as early as August 2019, when bookings first opened. June became December, now December is becoming February or May. Some candidates may end up with a two-year gap between enrolment and exam.

Life can seem sh*t sometimes and yesterday was, for many of you, one of the year’s sh*ttiest peaks.

People are already asking our advice. We’ll have plenty to offer next week, once we have thought carefully about the best approach.

But I am not offering advice on studying today. This message is straight from the heart.

Put your books down.

Take the day off.

Spend time with your partner, your kids, your parents (if you’re co-bubbled).

Turn your phone off.

Go for a long country walk in the middle of nowhere.

Breathe in the crisp autumn air.

Get muddy.

For a few hours, enjoy the beauty of this planet and try not to think about pandemics, politics, elections, climate change … or exams.

We’ll cross that bridge next week.

Nick
Twitter: @njblain